Florida State to retire Jameis Winston’s jersey

Florida State to retire Jameis Winston’s jersey

Former Hueytown High School standout Jameis Winston will become the 11th Florida State football player to have his jersey retired, the Seminoles announced on Thursday.

Winston’s jersey will be retired at the end of the first quarter of Florida State’s game against North Alabama.

In 2013, Winston became the youngest winner of the Heisman Trophy as he helped the Seminoles run up an undefeated season capped by a 34-31 victory over Auburn in the BCS national-championship game. Winston also won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and two awards recognizing the nation’s best quarterback – the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Manning Award – as he became the first freshman to be the ACC Player of the Year.

In 2014, Winston extended his streak of victories as a starting college quarterback to 26 games before Florida State fell to Oregon 59-20 in the Rose Bowl, which served as a semifinal for the CFP national-championship game.

Winston left the Seminoles as the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He played in the Pro Bowl as a rookie and led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2021 and 2022, injuries curtailed Winston’s seasons as the New Orleans Saints’ No. 1 QB, and this season, he’s played a backup role to Derek Carr.

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The Saints do not have a game this week.

“The retirement of Jameis’ jersey will certainly be a great event on our campus,” said Michael Alford, the FSU athletics director, in a release from the school. “He had a huge impact on Florida State football, and his place as one of our all-time greats is unquestioned. I know we all look forward to seeing his No. 5 becoming a permanent part of Doak Campbell Stadium.”

While Winston’s jersey will be retired, his number will not be. FSU began retiring jerseys rather than numbers in 1997.

Florida State also has retired the jerseys of Fred Biletnikoff, Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley, Warrick Dunn, Deion Sanders, Marvin Jones, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons, Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.

A football and baseball All-State selection at Hueytown, Winston won the Class 5A Back of the Year Award and earned Parade and Under Armour All-American recognition in 2011 with the Golden Gophers.

Winston also played baseball at Florida State as a pitcher and an outfielder.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.